"What’s going on here...?" Mika wondered pensively as he analyzed his reflection on Tija’s blade.

[It is merely a byproduct of you having accumulated five out of six installments. Your appearance is now reflecting your process.]

Mika did not really comprehend what the system meant by process but he did not pursue it this time.

The others gathered around Mika and inspected his appearance in confusion as they would always connect that appearance with the presence of a mighty foe. However, there was obviously no enemy in sight, which made them even more confused.

Belian and the other two girls, who got knocked out yesterday by Vira, finally woke up.

"What’s all the ruckus about...?" Sara muttered tiredly.

"..."

Lily gazed at Mika absentmindedly, which Belian took notice of. He, in turn, narrowed his eyes at Mika.

Out of everyone, Belian may be the one, who had noticed the rare cases of Mika’s appearance suddenly changing in his daily life. Back then, it was only his eyes which changed, however, this time, it appeared like it was permanent just like his hair.

But what bothered him the most was that, aside from his looks, his personality also changed.

Mika heaved a sigh.

"I guess I have just used my power too often. The more often I use it, the more I will begin to look like the part." Mika explained, sounding more apathetic than nonchalant.

"Anyways, let’s depart, shall we?" he added.

Knowing that they had no time to spare, the group immediately split up among the carriages and embarked from there.

While Ophelia explained the situation to Belian, Sara and Lily, Mika found himself in a carriage with TIja and Asak.

Mika and Asak were sitting in the front, driving the carriage, whereas Tija sat behind them and looked at the map.

And with no great incidents happening on the road, they traveled through the vast desert until it became night.

Because the group was near a small town, they decided to spend the night there.

"Get some good rest. We will depart tomorrow at noon." Ophelia stated before she appointed everyone to their rooms inside an inn.

While she did so, Lily tucked lightly on Mika’s jacket.

"?"

C-could you maybe spare me some time tomorrow morning...?" she whispered sheepishly.

Her face was slightly red and she averted her face from Mika.

"..."

For a moment, Mika stared blankly at her before the two discussed when and where they wanted to meet.

"S-see you tomorrow then...!"

"Yes. Good night." Mika replied calmly.

"Hm?"

Ophelia lightly tilted her head, noticing Mika and Lily’s small interaction as she was about to appoint Mika to his room.

The next day.

"..."

"..."

After meeting up, Mika and Lily walked around the town. While Lily seemed troubled, Mika remained calm.

"H-how about we sit down on that bench over there?" Lily suggested with an awkward smile.

"Sure."

Thus, the two sat down. And because it was so early, the area was void of any people.

The silence still continued until Lily eventually found the courage to speak up.

"S-sorry for being so nervous..." Lily decided to speak honestly with her awkward smile still intact.

"Don’t apologize."

Mika glanced at her.

"I understand that it’s shocking that the person you were searching for all the time was actually me. I should be the one to apologize."

Lily pressed her fists further into her lap.

"Then... Then, could you tell me why you hid your identity from me...?" she muttered.

Her smile was shaky.

"..."

Mika looked up to the morning sky.

He could give her many reasons and answers to her question. However, instead of him sounding like he wanted to search for an excuse, he just stated the biggest reason.

"I wanted to be your friend. I wanted to be seen by you as Mika Elbar. Not as an angel or your savior. Just simply as Mika, the guy from another class." Mika replied without changing his expression.

"Friend..."

Shortly after, Lily broke into a small laughter, which turned bigger and bigger until she had to clench her stomach from laughing.

Mika ignored her until she finally calmed down.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh at you. It’s just.."

Lily was leaning her back on the bench and wore a genuine and yet faint smile.

"I just remembered all the stuff I’ve told you back then."

"Ah, I see."

Mika, too, remembered her words and all their conversations concerning that topic.

"To be honest, I couldn’t imagine how I would react when I met my savior. Would I be happy? Satisfied? Or sad because the person wasn’t like how I imagined him to be?"

"Are you sad then?"

"No... Far from that." Lily replied softly, shaking her head in denial.

"I’m glad that you’re the one, Mika." she said, smiling widely.

The first people were in sight.

"There’s so much I want to talk about with you but I know that this is not the time for that." she added, standing up from the bench.

"I guess you have a point. We can talk leisurely once everything is over." Mika agreed.

The two were about to head back.

"But for now let me express my utmost gratitude to you for saving me back then. Thank you, Mika." Lily stated as she placed her hand on her chest and smiled warmly at him.

Mika just looked shortly at her before turning his head back.

"No problem." he responded casually, raising his hand.

Lily giggled.

"I wonder... Now that I have already achieved my goal, what will I do from now on?" she said playfully.

"Are you giving up on becoming a member of the Grand Order?" Mika asked.

There was a hint of shock in his expression.

"I’m joking, of course!" Lily revealed, laughing at Mika.

"..."

But Mika was not really thrilled by her small joke.

"I still want to get stronger. After all, as it stands now, I’m far too weak to earn my spot next to you." she elaborated confidently.

"Your spot next to me?"

Lily suddenly picked up her pace. And as she passed by Mika, he noticed the blush on her cheeks and ears.

"L-let’s hurry up! The others must be awake by now!"

From his point of view, it was not visible but sweat formed on Lily’s forehead and her smile turned awkward again.

He was slightly stunned by her words at first but then followed her silently. However, he was glad that her determination did not waver with the revelation of the identity of her savior.

"..."

Mika touched his face, especially the area around his mouth.

[What is wrong?]

"I didn’t smile once, did I...?" he whispered.

Even if it was just faint, Mika would still have smiled if it was him from back then. But today, he did not smile even once so far. Instead, he sensed that his face remained relaxed and unchanged.

[I am sorry.]

Mika closed his eyes for a moment.

"Don’t be." he muttered, sounding slightly saddened.

Mika and Lily finally arrived in front of the inn.

"Ah, there you are! Were you taking a stroll or something?" Lisa wondered, greeting the two.

It appeared like most of the group was already prepared to depart.

"Aren’t we missing a few people?" Mika asked, looking around.

And speaking of the devil, the people Mika was searching for approached him from behind.

Mika turned around and saw a yawning Ophelia walking alongside Belian and Sara.

"Hm?"

He narrowed his eyes on the long item that was wrapped in cloth.

"Here, for you." Ophelia said indifferently while she handed that item to Mika.

"Thank you..." Mika replied weakly as he was confused about what that item was.

Everyone gathered around Mika with a smile on their faces, except Asak who was always grumpy.

"..."

Slowly and pressured, Mika unwrapped the item.

"!"

His blue eyes widened.

Beneath the cloth was a silver sword, which was shining from its cleanliness. Similar to Excalibur, it was a double-edged longsword. It had a simple design but even a sword amateur could tell that it was a high-quality sword.

"Lily suggested that it would be a good idea for you to have another sword to rely on, in case, you couldn’t use Excalibur." Ophelia told him with a small huff while Mika was still staring at the sword.

"While you were away with Lily, we discussed that and everyone decided that they wanted to contribute to the sword, too. Therefore, we managed to get you the best sword possible." she added proudly.

"Belian and I can guarantee that you won’t find a sword better than this anywhere else!" Sara added.

Belian nodded multiple times, after all, he and Sara were quite knowledgeable if the topic was swords.

"So? How’s that sword?" Lily asked, smiling excitedly.

"Are you satisfied?" Sylvia chimed in with a grin.

"Let me guess! You want to spar with that sword right away, correct? Then-"

"We have no time for that Sara." Tija cut off her sister.

The rest of the group kept pushing, leaving Mika almost no space to breathe.

[You seem happy.]

However, Mika did not mind.

"Well, do I?" he muttered with a faint smile on his face.